To Russia, With Love
by Polly Little
Summary: Gilbert was in Moscow, Lovino was in Cardiff, and that made it hard to go on any sort of anniversary date, but at least Skype was a thing.


_**To Russia, With Love**_

He's always so busy.

Lovino feels like he could get up at the crack of dawn, and there'd still be an overflowing overdue mess in his inbox the next day. Actually, he knows for a fact that it wouldn't _matter_ if he left the house before dawn, because he distinctly remembers being blinded by the sunrise when he turned a corner on the way to work last week, and honestly? That feels like a metaphor for his career.

Even so, it's their anniversary, and he'd been planning their evening for months. He'd greet Gilbert with flowers, and they would have dinner at that Italian place down the road from their flat (because Gilbert likes it even if it isn't proper Italian like Lovino cooks), and then they'd go for a walk out in the fields and stargaze. For some ridiculous reason they lived in Wales, so it would be cold and they'd need jackets, but in Lovino's honest opinion that was just a brilliant excuse to hold hands. After that, they'd return home, and... Well, Lovino didn't want to explain that part to anyone except Gilbert, and Gilbert wouldn't need the explanation.

Well, that had been the plan. But the plan had been scuppered when Gilbert had got a promotion, and then another one, and then been transferred to Russia, of all places. And of course Lovino told him he was very proud, and he was! He was, but the job was in Russia. Which was miles away, and Lovino missed him. And Gilbert didn't even speak Russian!

But Lovino was willing to play the supportive boyfriend, because this was Gilbert, and Lovino knew he was on love him. Lovino also knew how much this job meant to him, knew how long he'd spent preparing for the interview, knew how he'd worried about being an openly gay man and the stigma that came with it (in the workplace and everywhere else), and if this was what Gilbert wanted? Then Lovino would support him every step of the way, and even iron his ties if that was what it took to get Gilbert to _stop fussing and go to sleep, because the interviewer wouldn't care if his shirt complimented the decor well or not._ That didn't mean it wouldn't be hard – it was. Relationships were hard. But it would be even harder not to have their relationship, and all the stupid petty problems that came with it.

Regardless, Gilbert was in Moscow, Lovino was in Cardiff, and neither of them were in that Italian place down the road – not that Lovino would even glance at it without Gilbert. It really made it difficult to go on any form of anniversary date, but at least Skype was a thing.

Gilbert had asked him to Skype the second he got home, but it was half past eleven and Lovino was stuck somewhere in the middle of a traffic jam that he wouldn't be surprised to hear reached all the way to London. He should've been home four hours ago, but a meeting had overran, and then his boss had called him in for a "discussion" – which was every bit as terrifying as it sounded, but he was reasonably certain that he wasn't fired, right? – and now he was stuck in traffic, banging his head against the steering wheel in despair.

The traffic finally let up, and he rammed the accelerator down and surged forward, only to be confronted with a red light. And then another. By the time he got home, Lovino was sure he'd caught every red light in Cardiff, and a couple of speeding tickets besides.

He takes the stairs two at a time to make up for it, crashing through his front door and not even pausing to take his shoes off – he can do that later – before switching the computer on.

It takes forever. The whine of the fan as the computer sets itself up drags on and on and on and on, and with every second that passes, Lovino's frayed nerves fall even more on edge.

This is going to be just like in college when he forgot their two year anniversary and Emma dumped him, except _worse_ , because it's _Gilbert_ and he _loves_ him, and if Gilbert breaks up with him then quite frankly he'd probably throw up.

The dull blinking light of the computer monitor seems more holy than any choir of angels could ever hope to achieve, but Lovino's fledgling hopes shatter when the screen finishes loading and he sees the time.

 _ **00:23**_

He's failed. Still, he has to try to apologise, even if Gilbert's probably already gone to bed in disgust, so he opens up the app. He almost starts crying when Gilbert accepts the call.

Lovino only spoke to him a couple of nights ago, but in the short time that's passed he's taken a definite turn for the worse. Clearly Russia doesn't suit him – he looks _awful_.

"I'm so sorry!" Lovino blurts, the second he's sure the computer's working. "I hit every stupid light on the stupid road – though not literally, the car's fine, don't worry – and I was almost fired by my stupid boss, and, the meeting, and, and-"

When Lovino was stressed, he tended to ramble. When he was tired, he forgot most of the swear-words he'd usually use in this stupid situation. This all comes together to ensure he sounds like even more of an idiot than usual, and in about five minutes he's going to be a single idiot.

There's something wet on his cheek, and he realises with a jolt of surprise that he's actually crying.

"Hey! It's not your fault, right?" Gilbert looks nervous – he always does when Lovino gets like this – but as always, he knows just what to say. "I don't mind. Alright?"

"Alright." And just like that, he feels all of the stress of the past twenty four hours evaporate.

"Awesome. Well," Gilbert stretches, with a catlike supple laziness, then smirks, though his earlier hesitance is still visible in his eyes and the quiver of his elbows against the desk. "It's still our anniversary from where I'm sitting. Time zones, remember? We might as well make a go of it."

Something about that comment sounds off to Lovino, but it's past one in the morning, and he's far too tired to work out the actual time difference between Moscow and Cardiff. The important thing is, they could have their anniversary, and Gilbert wasn't going to break up with him.

Relationships were hard, and long distance relationships were even harder. But at the end of the day (and yes, the hours just after midnight) Lovino loved Gilbert –was planning on marrying him someday – and that was the end of it.

Although he rather wished he hadn't said that out loud – he'd intended to propose much more romantically than that.

 _ **A/N: Lovino does eventually work out that Russia is actually two**_ __ _ **hours**_ **ahead** ** _of Wales, but Gilbert's too excited about the wedding for him to be annoyed._**

 ** _Written for Rainbow It Up In Here from Caesar's Palace and bonny-and-blythe writing contest on Tumblr._**


End file.
